Thoughts on Luke 19:1-10

·      Jesus is not sedentary.  He is in motion.  He is a movement maker you need to catch Him as He passes by and keep up.  It is your job to follow not set the course. (1)

·      There is a need that wealth cannot fulfill.  (2)

·      What is the obstacle in your life that is keeping you from seeing Jesus?  Have you given up or will you find another way? (3)

·      You may have to change your vantage point in life to see Jesus. This may be difficult or require change.  It is worth it.  Get ahead of the busyness of life and wait for him. (4)

·      Jesus will notice your effort.  He will stop and meet you there.  He will invite Himself over if you let Him.  He wants to know you. (5)

·      Let him in. (6)

·      Jesus does not care about what others think.  It is not about prestige or what you have done.  It is all about the heart. That is what He cares about.  Others may mumble, don’t listen focus on what Jesus is changing in you. (7)

·      Getting close to Jesus will expose your faults. It's OK He won't leave you. He will change you. (8)

·      When He moves your heart listen to it.  Follow those promptings and allow your heart to change your life. (8)

·      He is the way to life. The only way to life. (9)

·      Jesus is for the broken.  The imperfect. He loves to make them whole and to give them hope.  (10)

10 Things to look for in a church: where you work

From time to time people will ask me what to look for in a good church working environment.  In order to answer this I have created two lists: 10 things to look for in a church you attend and 10 things to look for in a church where you work. If you are in transition for whatever reason, here are 10 things to look for in a local church where you might work.

1.    Integrity:  Are the stated values of the church shared and defined?  Do people act on these or are they just thoughts that no one really lives by.  Are people held accountable to the shared values?  Does the senior leadership submit to these values or are they “above the law?”

2.    Commitment to following Jesus:  Does the leadership talk about their relationship with Christ?  Is this part of your staff meetings? My current boss asks me weekly how my personal relationship with Christ is going weekly.  In 15 years of full-time ministry he is the only boss to ask me this consistently. 

3.    Care for staff families:  Is the church relationally intelligent?  Do they care about their staff’s families?  I have one friend who works at a well-known mega-church whose boss routinely calls home to his wife to see if there is anything he can do to help his family.  He asks about workload, time commitments and financial support.  This shows great care for the entire family.  It will serve to keep great staff longer and motivate staff even deeper if they feel they are more than just part of a ministry machine.

4.    Developing vs. Using staff:  Does the church value the developing of leaders as part of their mission?  Do they have a process for this?  Funding for education?  Is there upward mobility or will you have to leave the church if you feel God is calling you to another type of ministry?  In a meeting with David Browning, Senior Pastor of Christ the King Community Church, he told me that he believes that the future success of CTK will be based on how many leaders they can grow.  “I realized a number of years ago that I had to stop looking at it like they work for me and had to approach it like I work for them!”  Is your senior pastor insecure?  Will he limit the success of those below him if he feels threatened by their gifts and leadership abilities?

5.    Work-Life balance:  Quite simply, does the church demonstrate a biblical theology of work-life balance?  All of us should be motivated to expand the kingdom, but not to the detriment of those closest to us, our families.  Some pastoral friends of mine work in cultures where they are required to work 6 days a week.  Some have job descriptions with 65-75 hours a week.  Is that healthy?  Is it biblical?  Does the church teach work-life balance to their members but expect quite the opposite from their staff?

6.    Freedom:  Will the church allow you the space and resources to accomplish the work you have been given?  Is there a culture of trust or suspicion?

7.    Pursue vs. Protect mentality:  Is this church looking to the past or looking ahead to the future?  Are they protecting past success or dreaming about what God has next.  Is the ministry built for those who are not here yet or for those who have been here for 20 years?

8.    Heart:  Why does the church exist?  What is the motivation?  Is it a call to reach those far from God?  Train leaders for the future?  Is it success? Ego? The legacy of the Senior Leader? Make sure you have clarity on this before you join in.

9.    Leadership:  How are the staff meetings?  Does staff look forward to them?  Are they a celebration?  How does the staff honor each other?  How does the leadership receive feedback?  Is honest and loving critique well-received by leadership as a tool for growth and development?  Is the leadership secure or insecure?

10. Conflict Management:  All relationships have conflict.  How does this church handle conflict when it arises?  Is there a process?  Is this handled with integrity?  I recommend calling the last three people who left that church to ask this question as well as the previous 9!

Thank You Jesus

“For Christ died for the sins once for all, that righteous for the unrighteous, to bring to you God.  He was put to death in body, but made alive by the Spirit.”  1 Peter 3:18

Thank you Jesus for coming to earth.  You could have stayed away but you came near.

Thank you Jesus for living a perfect life, you showed me the way to live my life.

Thank you Jesus for caring for the forgotten. You opened my eyes to the needs of others around me.

Thank you Jesus for not accepting injustice, for flipping the tables, for setting the standard for right and wrong.

Thank you Jesus for teaching complex truths about eternity in simple ways, for sharing the truth in a way I can understand.

Thank you Jesus for being a servant. You showed me that the best way to lead is to serve, to lift others up.

Thank you Jesus for not compromising, for not accepting the easy way out.

Thank you Jesus for the cross.  For doing what I could not and for paying the price for my sins.  For making me clean by your blood and for giving me a way home.

Thank you does not seem like enough Jesus.  May you know my thanks in the way I live my life.  In the way I love your people, follow you and long to be with you again some day.

Thank you Jesus.

My Core Values

All of us live by a set of core values in life.  These values are the guideposts that ground our very lives even in very uncertain times.  When we live in a way that is consistent with our core values we experience peace, but when we live in opposition to them it often can create great tension. 

Here are my personal core values.  From time to time I have had to revisit these values.  There have been times in the past when my environment or behavior has been inconsistent with these.  It is during these times that I know I need a change.

Freedom:  I value freedom and the space that allows me to create, lead teams, dream, teach and influence.

Honesty:  I value truth, honesty, transparency and authenticity in all my relationships, even when the truth is difficult to swallow.  I seek to find this in myself, from my loved ones and in the communities that I serve and lead.  There is power in the truth and I seek to find it in all I do.

Justice:  I value what is fair and just.  Injustice in this world deeply bothers me.  I seek to live in a fair way and be a part of restoring justice in the world.

Aggressive Pursuit of Jesus:  I value competition and a worthy battle.  The biggest challenge on this earth is spiritual.  I love the spiritual fight of expanding the kingdom of God and growing in my relationship with Him.

Missional Community:  I value being part of a team that is on the move and making a difference in this world.

Healthy Life Rhythm:  I value a pace of life that is healthy for my soul, body and family.

An Identity Rooted in Christ:  I value getting my worth, identity, motivation, and direction from my relationship with God.

My Little Ladies:  God has blessed me with three wonderful girls, my wife and two daughters. Outside of my relationship with God they are the most important part of my life.  I will protect, provide, and love them with all my heart.  If I succeed at all else and fail here, I fail.

All of us have a set of core values.  What are yours?

Audio: Arrows Pointed Out by David Browning

"Arrows Pointed Out" was part one of the keynote address at this years Ignite Conference.  David Browning is the founding Pastor at Christ the King Community Church with over 400 locations internationally.  In this message David challenges local church leaders to reach out beyond themselves and focus on the needs of those outside the walls of the church.

 Arrows Pointed Out from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

Uncharted Waters

There are times in our lives when God moves us into the unknown.  There are seasons when he breaks up the ordinary to move us into the new. 

These times can be invigorating or terrifying, but is often in these moments that we know that God is near.  It is also in these moments that we can get a glimpse of His power. 

In Mark 8:35-41 Jesus and his disciples are traveling into uncharted waters.  To be honest, they knew those waters well.  But when a storm hit, it changed everything.

This wasn’t a passing rain shower.  It was a storm so strong that seasoned fishermen feared for their lives.  But where was Jesus?  He was sleeping.  Resting on a cushion on the front of the boat. 

When the disciples woke him they asked: “Teacher don’t you care if we die?”  It was at this moment that Jesus got up and said: “Quiet! Be still!” and the ocean responded with immediate calm.

“Why are you so afraid?” said Jesus.  “Do you have no faith?” 

Currently, I am floating in a time of uncharted waters.  Many of my close friends are struggling through great storms in life.  Erik just found out two weeks ago that his 12-year-old daughter is terminally ill.  Jim is praying as his mother struggles through stage-four pancreatic cancer.  Steve, my senior pastor, is recovering from an emergency double bi-pass surgery and a heart condition that almost took his life on Saturday.

And this week we float into uncharted waters as a church with our first public service at Crossroads Church in Cranberry.

It is in these moments of the unknown that I find comfort in the words of Jesus: “Quiet.  Be Still.  Why are you afraid, Mike?  The one who calmed the ocean is by your side.  Move courageously into those uncharted waters.”

Heart Conditions: A Wise Heart

One author I read this week described this weekend’s topic as “the most difficult topic to apply personally to our lives as modern western Christians.   We live in a culture where our primary pursuits are our own security and pleasure, both, we think achieved by possessions.”

This week at Crossroads Church we are continuing our series entitled “Heart Conditions” by looking at what it means to live with a wise heart.  In Luke Chapter 12:13-21, Jesus shares the parable of the rich fool.  In this story, Jesus shows us the foolishness that comes when we seek contentment and security in the “stuff” we own. 

In fact, Jesus says that life is fragile, and that when we become too focused on “our stuff” that our focus can become skewed and hearts can become sick.  A wise heart, according to Jesus, is one that is focused on the things of eternity. 

Join us this week as we continue this great series and I encourage you to take some time this week to read through Luke 12:13-21

God Bless,

Pastor Mike

Something Must Die

Pride is a killer.  In Luke chapter 11, Jesus challenges the Pharisees about the pride that is in their hearts. “Woe to you Pharisees because you love the important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. “  Later in this chapter, Jesus says it is this very pride that caused their forefathers to literally kill the former prophets that brought them truth.

As I studied this morning I was faced with the truth that when pride is exposed in our lives something must die.

We will either repent and kill the pride in our hearts, or we kill the one that exposes our pride.  We will either humble ourselves or belittle, slander, and excuse the one that shows us our faults.  This is why they killed Jesus, He exposed their pride and something had to die.

The truth is that there is a “little Pharisee” in each of us.  A sickness in our heart that left unchecked will continue to grow.  The choice is ours, we will either allow Jesus to remove this from our hearts and kill our pride or we will kill the very ones who show us our sin.  Either way something must die.

Goals

We are already 5 weeks into the new year.  This year I created a list of my personal and professional goals for 2011.  I plan to take a look at this every two weeks to see if I am on track.  Looks like a busy year!  How are your 2011 goals looking?

·      Spiritual

o   Finish reading through the entire Bible

§  Blog my reflections

o   Pray for 10 minutes a day

o   Listen to 2 sermons a week.

o   Slow down and listen to God.

o   Find a local trusted friend to share life with.

o   Seek mentorship from 1-2 other pastors/leaders.

·      Family

o   Date my wife 20 times this year

§  Serve my wife weekly in a significant way.

o   Take my wife away on a trip

o   Date my daughter Elena 10 times this year

o   Date my daughter Ava 10 times this year

o   Take a Family Vacation

o   Find a creative way to honor my parents this year

o   Find a creative way to honor my in-laws this year

o   Be more present during “time off”

o   Continue work projects at home

§  Build a deck on the back of the house

§  Build porch on the back of the house

§  Start finishing the basement

o   Take Elena on a Missions Trip this Summer

·      Personal

o   Read and review 2 books a month

o   Unplug for 3 hours a day.

o   Work out 4-5 times a week. (45 minutes)

o   Play Basketball 1-2 times a week.

o   Find 5 Great ideas this year.

o   Travel

o   Listen more.  Be Slower to Speak.

o   Manage physical energy better.

§  Be disciplined in personal renewal.

·      Ministry

o   Be a good Team Player

§  Listen and serve well.

§  Be loyal at all times.

o   Successfully lead and launch Crossroads Cranberry

§  Hire and develop Staff

§  Develop Core team

·      Create and fill volunteer ministry positions

·      Handwrite three thank you notes a week.

§  Oversee Physical Upgrades to the Campus

§  Foster a environment of Spiritual Health

§  Preach well with passion and truth.

§  Develop a growing network of Small Groups

·      Train and empower Leaders

·      Create a effective entry process

§  Develop Cranberry Crossroads Training School

o   Preach well when called upon at Crossroads Oakdale

§  Protect time for preparation and study.

§  Develop this skill.

§  Listen to God through this process.

o   Develop and Execute Effective Multi-site Process

§  Listen and learn the vision of multi-site from my Senior Pastor.

§  Create an effective model for future campus launches.

§  Identify 3-5 future campus pastors

§  Create a process to hire/train emerging leaders

o   Help Assist in the Development of Crossroads Strategic Plan

§  Work with Church Solutions Group

o   Start Part-Time Consulting Career

§  Finish training for Church Solutions Group Strategic Planning

§  Serve my first 3-4 clients

o   Finish writing my first book.

Sharing Hope

Everyone knows what it feels like to gain and lose hope in life. Sharing hope is a challenge for all whom have found hope in Christ to share it with others through acts of kindness and service. It is my goal to spark thought and discussion for those who watch it. Enjoy. This is a small group series I created for North Way Christian Community in Pittsburgh, PA.

Sharing Hope from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

Discussion 1

Read 1 Peter 3:15-17

·      Think of a time in your life when someone asked you why you lived differently.  How did you respond? 

·      What happened in that moment?  How did this exchange feel for you?

Discussion 2

Read Hebrews 6:10-12

·      When was the last time you have shown God love by loving His people?  Describe the experience.

·      How did these experiences help build your faith or make your hope sure?

·      Why don’t we actively pursue more of these serving opportunities in our lives?

Discussion 3

·      Take some time to think about a possible “Hope Project.”

·      Do you have a personal contact that may need some assistance?  Like and elderly neighbor or family in need?

·      Is there an area of need that someone else could help you with?

·      Is there an area of need that is specific passion for you?  Elderly, abandoned children, homeless?

Prayer

·      Pray that God will give you an opportunity to share hope with those in contact with you this week. 

·      Pray for courage to share hope in love.

Chase Your Dream

Never forget how far we've come.  Keep this dream moving forward.

. . .Connected

Earlier this week we lost the internet connection at the church office.  For hours I tried to figure out what was going on with our connection.  I talked with a service rep, unplugged and plugged every piece of equipment and eventually discovered the problem.  One of the things that became very apparent to me was just how paralyzed and in effective I was without my office internet connection.

This weekend we will be looking at the value of being connected.  What was true at the office is also true in our spiritual lives as well.  Faith has always been intended to be lived out in community.  We are creatures that are created to be connected. 

This weekend at Crossroads Cranberry we will be looking at the value of real and trustworthy connections in our local church community.  I would encourage you to take a few moments to read and think about Ephesians 4:1-13 as we prepare for the weekend.  I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

God Bless,

Pastor Mike

Peace on Earth?

My friend Dave Runyon sends out the best Christmas card ever year.  I always look forward to seeing what he and his family will do next!  This year’s card is one of the best.  Here are a couple of thoughts from Pastor Steve Cordle on where we can find peace this Christmas.

Christmas has a way of amplifying the pain of life’s imperfections.

If death or divorce taken someone who was celebrating with us last year, it hurts even more than other days. If our health is limiting us, or key relationships are strained or our job threatened, it seems it seems to cut a little deeper at Christmas.

Christmas is supposed to be Merry!

But if we look back at the first Christmas, you see that things did not go all that well for Mary and Joseph either. It came complete with:

Family Drama: Mary had been widely accused of sleeping around and Joseph planning on breaking off their engagement.

It had the Unpleasant Travel Experience: try riding a donkey for more than 80 miles when 9 months pregnant.

There was the Accommodation Hassle: no room at inn, have to sleep in a barn… which is worse than with your cousins.

There was the pain of childbirth and then unexpected company dropping in as shepherds showed up wanting to see the baby.

I’m just saying that circumstances were not perfect for the main players on that first Christmas.

I hope you get just what you want for Christmas this year, and everything turns out like you want it to – that would be great!

But if it doesn’t, don’t worry, you haven’t missed Christmas’ best.

Because the best part of Christmas is not what is happening in our circumstances, but who has come to be with us.

Waiting for the Bride

One of my favorite privileges as a pastor is to lead or officiate weddings.  For me, it is an honor to be with people in such a great moment in life.  Before the ceremony begins, I visit with the bride and groom to pray with them just minutes before their wedding. 

When doing this, I usually visit the bride first. She is usually nervous, emotional, and sometimes even tearful.  She is usually surrounded by her best friends and close family.  After praying with everyone, the tears are flowing.  It is then that I give my final words of advice:  “enjoy the day!”

Then I go visit the guys.   The mood in the room full of guys tends to be a little bit different.  They too are nervous and excited, but the emotions are handled differently.  Some wear their “game face” while others kick back with groomsmen enjoying the humor in the man’s last moments as a bachelor.  In some ways the guys’ waiting area feels a little more like a football locker room. 

I like to look into the eyes of the groom as his men are standing around him before we pray.   I ask him how he feels.  This is usually met with a response like, “I’m excited,” or “I can’t wait to see her.”  In that moment, I look into the eyes of the groom and say, “remember this feeling.  Never forget it.  Because this is how Scripture describes God’s love for you.  He waits for you.  He loves you  and longs for you as a groom waiting for his bride.”

If you are married, think back to your wedding day and remember that feeling.  Know that God loves you with that same intensity.  It has never faded and it never will.

Our God Who Restores

Have you ever messed up in life? 

When I was a junior in high school I was driving to class on a cold winters morning.  The frost had covered my car and rather than clearing the windows properly, I decided to shave just a small slit in the windshield to see through as I drove to school. 

On my way, I came to a busy intersection where I couldn’t completely see what was coming but decided to pull forward and cross the road. 

In a matter of seconds, I realized that I had made a serious mistake as I collided with another car coming in the opposite direction. 

I wrecked, I messed up.  And it was my fault.

I will never forget the felling I had that morning when I called may father to let him know what had happened.  As he approached me I began to apologize for the mess that I made, the trouble that I caused, and the car that I ruined.  But before I could finish my speech he just hugged me and said, “son I am so glad that you are OK.” 

The Restoration process had already begun.

The week at Crossroads Cranberry we are in the second week of our Advent series entitled, Revealed. 

Sunday we will be taking some time to study the book of Zephaniah and how God revealed that one day a Messiah would come to restore those who have walked away from Him, those of us who have messed up. 

Join us this weekend at 10:30am as we continue the journey together. 

idol thoughts

“Our contemporary society is not fundamentally different from these ancient ones.  Each culture is dominated by it own set of idols.  Each has its “priesthoods,” it totem and rituals.  Each one has it shrines whether office towers, spas, and gyms, studios, or stadiums-where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster.  What are the gods of beauty, power, money, and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society?  We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are drive into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image.  We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige.”  Timothy Keller Counterfeit Gods

It is often very difficult to identify idols in our own lives.  One of the ways I examine my own heart in this area is by looking at my first response difficult situations. 

Where do I go in times of trial?  Where do I seek comfort?  Who do I talk with?  Where do I go first?

For example if my car broke down today what would be my first response?

Do I ask the Lord for guidance? 

Do I ask for a miracle? 

Do I yell at God? 

Do I try to fix it on my own? 

Call a friend? 

Call a mechanic?

If I am honest my first response is often very similar to someone who does not believe in God at all.  I try to fix it on my own. 

It is only when I am truly stuck.  When I cannot solve the problem, when I don’t know the right people.  When I do not have the resources.  It is then and only then that I set aside the idols of strength, knowledge, and self to ask God for help.

This is not to say that rational thought or problem solving is bad.  No, God has given us this.  But if we consistently turn to self, others, or things in our times of need.  Even simple needs it reveals something about where we find our strength.  It reveals something about what or who we worship.

Where do you go in difficult seasons of life?  Where do you seek comfort? In others, self, food, success?  What are the idols in your life?

3 Fights

This weekend at Crossroads Cranberry we looked Joshua 1 and studied how Joshua faced the fight of his day.  One of the things that God has been teaching me is that we all have three fights in our lives.

There are the fights we need fight:

·      Spiritual Fights:

o   Ephesians 6 “For our battles is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.”

·      Social Injustice:

o   James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

o   Deuteronomy 24: 17-22 “Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.  When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this. “

·      Personal Holiness:

o   James 1:27:  “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

There are the fights we need to let Go:

·      Pain, Revenge:

o   Matthew 5:38-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.  If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

There are the fights that we need to let the Lord Fight:

·      Romans 12:16-19  “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[says the Lord.”

o   Which fight are you fighting today? 

o   Are you fighting the right one?

o   Are you holding on to something that you need to let go?

o   Is there a struggle (fight) that you need to let the Lord fight for you?

Fear

“Fear.  It creates anger and selfishness.  They sit together, supporting each other, as inseparable as red, orange and yellow on the spectrum. “

“Generosity, creativity and the graceful are at the other end in a similar cluster.  If you seek to be creative, start by being generous.  Like blue, indigo and violet, they live together.”  Seth Godin

There are a number of ironic truths in this life.  One of them is the counterintuitive path to creativity and happiness. 

We live in a time where we are continually told that we need to “have” to be happy.  If we have the right job, right home, right car, right friends, then life will be good.

But this is just not true. 

In Acts 20:35 Paul remembers the words of Jesus when says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

Quick thought for today:  Find joy in generosity.  Give to someone this week.  Anyone.  Pick a stranger and give.  I have found that when I do this fear, anger, and selfishness melt away and hope is not that far away.

Love

Every once and in a awhile I ask my 6 year old daughter if she likes “love.”  With great theatrics she inevitably breathes a theatrical sigh, lifts her hands in the air and dramatically states:  “I love. . . LOVE!” 

Who doesn’t love . . . LOVE?  We all need to be loved.  We all search for someone else to love and we all long to have a life full of love.  Right? 

This weekend I will be preaching from one of the most popular wedding passages in Scripture:  1 Corinthians 13 otherwise known as the “Love Chapter.”  In this passage we will see that real love lasts.  “(Love) always protects, always trusts, always perseveres.  Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:7)

This week I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions about love:

·      When is the last time you extended grace to someone because of your love for them?

·      When is the last time someone has extended grace to you because of their love for you?

·      How has someone else’s love for you helped you through a difficult time?

·      How has God’s love for you helped you through a difficult time?

I am looking forward to preaching my first message at Crossroads Cranberry this weekend.  We would love for you to join us!  

A New Season

 Rachelle and I want to take this moment to thank you for praying for our family through this time of transition.  God has been good to us through this season and we know it was in part because of your prayers and support.  We are very grateful.

After much prayer and searching I feel honored to announce that I have accepted a pastoral position with Crossroads Church in Pittsburgh, PA.  I will be serving on the Executive Staff Team as the Director of Campus Development and Campus Pastor of the Cranberry Campus in Cranberry Township, PA. 

My responsibilities will include oversight of campus strategy, preaching at both the Cranberry and Oakdale campuses and the development of the Crossroads Training School for future campus pastors and church planters.  My first official weekend with Crossroads will be November 21.  I will be preaching that day at the Cranberry Campus.  We would love for you to join us in the next part of our journey. 

In addition to serving at Crossroads, I will also be spending 20% of my time serving with the Church Solutions Group.  With CSG I will be helping other churches grow through the development and implication of strategic planning on a leadership level.

Finally, Rachelle has also secured a new Job and will continue to follow her passion to serve older adults as a Speech-Language Pathologist at Wexford House Nursing and Rehab Center in Wexford, PA.

Thank you again for all of your love, prayers and support.  We are looking forward to what God has planned. 

God Bless,

Mike